Page 23 of Dirty Like Jude
I scanned her list again. “Booked, booked and booked. Every venue on there is booked. I’ve alreadychecked.”
“Yeah.” She sounded the least bitsurprised.
Shit.
I knew I could pull this thing off—in theory. I had the main skill that was needed: the ability to negotiate. I knew I could negotiate this event into being,ifI had a venue to negotiatewith.
At the look on my face, Talia squared her shoulders and turned her laptop back toward herself. “Let’s just look at these venuesagain.”
“Maybe there’s no point.” I flopped back against the couch and pushed my hands into my hair. “Unless there’s any wiggle room on that list of yours, there’s nopoint.”
“There’s no wiggle room. But let’s just look at each place, at their New Year’s Eve events. In case anything standsout.”
“Like what? Someone’s already managed to book Dirty there since thismorning?”
She grinned. “Nope. I would’ve heard. But let’s not throw in the towel yet, right?” She was typing on her laptop. “Don’t even bother with the arena or the stadium or Pacific Coliseum. Not happening. Let’s look at the smallerones.”
“Jessa said they want something more intimate for this show anyway.” I thought through Talia’s incredibly short list… “That leaves the Ruby, Pandora Ballroom and Elysium Theatre. And the Back Door, which Jessa specifically told me Brody doesn’t want forthis.”
“I’m looking at the Elysium now. You do one of theothers.”
“Is this the part where I tell you that I already talked to the Ruby today, and they confirmed that they’re committed to four out-of-town DJs and the event is already almost sold-out?”
“Yeah, okay. So cross them off thelist.”
I sighed. “Pandora it is.” I opened Google and searchedPandora Ballroom Vancouver - New Year’sEve.
“The Elysium is booked with Harper Sloane,” Talia informed me. “And some special guests.Ugh. Folk rock. Zane calls it ‘snooze rock.’ Nothappening.”
“Are the tickets on salealready?”
“Yeah.”
“Scratch that off.” I’d pulled up a flyer for the New Year’s Eve event at the Pandora, where I’d already discovered, earlier in the day, that DJ Summer was on the bill. “A Pandora New Year’s Eve,” I read aloud. “Featuring DJ Spyyder, DJ Summer… and some other small-time DJs I’m not even gonna bore you with… Fullybooked.”
“IloveDJ Spyyder. We should totally hit thatparty.”
“Yeah. Tickets aren’t on sale yet. I’ll see if I can score some from the venue. I know the new assistant manager.” After all, if this Dirty show wasn’t happening, I’d be looking for someplace to get good and drunk that night after I was done with my lame-ass pubevent.
“I’ll see if I can score some from Summer,” Taliasaid.
I looked at her, considering. “How well do you knowher?”
“Not that well. I mean, I have hernumber.”
I had her number, too. Didn’t mean I had the courage to use it, unless I had something to offer her. DJ Summer was, unfortunately, a little out of my playing field—both personally andprofessionally.
But then again, so wasDirty.
Talia was typing and clicking, and frowned. “How come when I go to the Pandora website, Spyyder’s not on thebill?”
“What?”
She spun her laptop toward me again. Her browser was open to a page on the Pandora Ballroom’s website—info about their New Year’s Eve event. Featuring DJ Summer, several other, smaller DJs… and:More to beannounced.
“That’s weird.” I glanced up at Talia. “Which one do you think iscorrect?”
“I’m gonna go with whatever’s on the venue’s officialwebpage.”
